Well, there is always that
by The1ThatGotAway
Summary: Set after episode 9 and 10. Maura's digging, Jane's reflecting, Angela's nosing, and all of that fun drama/romance that makes it all worth it. Reviews are very useful. In fact, they are needed.
1. Chapter 1

**Personal Note: I am entertained that after last summer when the ladies were outed by shippers and fans alike, the FF got good and TNT noticed. I have yet to see an episode that isn't a blip on the ol gaydar. I love it. Give the fans what they want...all that unresolved sexual tension! The two actors are great at it! Let it flow! I am befuddled at Maura's in heat character of late, but I guess I've been there before. Oh well, let's go!**

"There's more than one Rizzoli with a beautiful mind." Jane said, with her trademark smile and ambled into the kitchen for a bottle of beer as Maura laughed and Angela's eyes narrowed a little.

"Tommy, I can't believe you bashed the door in," Angela said sternly to her son, her eyes following Maura into the kitchen where the doctor smiled openly at her friend and let her eyes linger on hers as she poured herself a glass of wine. Jane watched her with the same ease, the small smile on her lips. "You need to go to the hardware store now and fix this so Doctor Isles can sleep in peace."

Tommy looked over at his sister and the doctor with an astonished expression on his face. Jane shook her head and narrowed her eyes at him while Maura just feigned innocence and shook her head slightly.

"Ma!" He said after he saw that he was getting no help from those two, "How am I supposed to fix that now?" He asked.

"Not my concern," Angela said to him, going for her purse. She pulled out a large wad of twenty dollar bills and counted four out. Jane and Maura exchanged slightly humored and horrific glances. "Here, take this and get whatever you need and come back here and fix the door. I raised you better than this."

Tommy got up slowly and took the cash from his mother, "Ma, you don't need to do this. I've got a job." He looked into the kitchen for support but again, got none.

"I know, baby," Angela said to her son, moving him to the door, "But let me get this one, okay. You just get going before the store closes."

After she closed the door on her youngest son, she turned around to face her daughter and the doctor who were still lazing in the kitchen near each other.

"Angela, that was unnecessary." Maura said with a smile, pouring Angela a glass of wine, "I will call a contractor tomorrow. It's doubtful that he is going to be able to completely repair the damage." She handed her the glass. Angela took a sip.

"Win big at the casino, Ma?" Jane asked her, "You shouldn't have waved all that cash in front of him, you know."

Angela shook her head, "We can talk about that later, Jane. And I did it on purpose. I know how much I have. And I'll know if he takes any of it." She sighed, "But that's not what I want to talk about."

"Then what is it, Ma?" Jane asked her mother, "We've had a really hard day and just want to relax. I'm hungry and tired. Cranky. My toe still hurts." She shot a look at Maura, who just raised her eyebrows. " So what is it?" She walked to the sofa and sat down, letting her head fall back as she kicked out of her boots. She glanced in the kitchen and saw Maura dialing her phone. "Who are you calling?" She asked. Maura raised her finger to the detective and turned her back.

"Jane," Angela began, sitting on the sofa next to her daughter. "What is going on here? I leave for a few days to have some fun and I come back to you and Tommy with Doctor Isles and a broken door. Tommy didn't break the door did he?"

"Ma! Does it matter how the door got broken?" Jane asked, "Some things you just need to leave be. Like the door."

Angela shook her head, "Janie, if you broke the door because Tommy was in here with her-"

"Enough!" Jane broke in, "Ma, that's not what happened. "

Angela made a not-so-subtle-glance into the kitchen where Maura still on the phone, "Jane, I consider Doctor Isles part of our family and so does Connie. We both agree that Maura being around people like us and her coworkers has instilled more life into her. But that doesn't mean I want her dating Tommy. So if you broke the door because he was getting fresh with her, I understand."

Jane's brain was as slow as a beach volleyball player in combat boots. Fresh? Connie?

It was at that time Maura joined them in her living room. Angela got up from the sofa and slid into a wing chair as Maura automatically took the sofa with Jane.

"Connie?" Jane asked, looking over at Maura, who wore a slightly worried look, "Maura's mother?" Angela nodded, "I hope you don't call her Connie to her face." Jane said, also worried.

"Jane, how could I call her anything to her face if I've only met her once." Angela said.

Maura piped in, "Yes, well you say that you have been speaking to her."

"She calls the guesthouse sometimes," Angela answered easily, sipping more wine. "We have had a few talks. She's a very interesting woman."

"I'd like to be a fly on that wall," Jane muttered then turned to Maura, "Who were you on the phone with?" She asked, hopping up to get another beer.

"Tommy," Maura answered, not watching as Jane rolled her eyes.

She popped the top of her beer, "Yeah? I don't think he's going to get past this checkmate, Maura."

Maura smiled at that one, "I instructed him to pick up the take out I ordered for us. I know you said you were hungry and it got me to thinking about when the last time I ate was. So I figured that we needed to eat. Angela, you are welcome to stay and join us."

Jane grabbed the bottle of wine and topped off her mother's and Maura's glass of wine. They shared the same knowing smile. Angela watched quietly.

"Ok, so that's settled," She said, "Now what happened to your door?" Directing this question to Maura, she was planning on not getting the runaround like she always did from her daughter and sons.

"Jane didn't break it down," Maura started, "It was…well…it was…my father…uh, he was hurt and needed a doctor." She shot a look at Jane.

"Your father?" Angela admonished, "Who's your father? The mob?"

Maura nodded and drank more of her wine, "Patty Doyle."

Tommy had gotten back with the food and they had moved to the guest house while Tommy set about to secure the door for the night.

"So you don't know who your mother is," Angela asked as they traded cartons of vegetables, shrimp and scallops, rice and noodles, "And he won't tell you."

Maura nodded as she bit into a broccoli floret. "I assume he will never tell me. I assume there are ways to find out if I need to."

"Do you want to?"Jane asked.

Maura looked over at her, her eyes wandering around her friend's face, as if searching for her true meaning in asking the question again.

"Yes, and no, I guess." She answered.

Jane raised her eyebrows and smile, "Guess?" She looked at her amused mother, "You are guessing?"

Maura looked at her and smiled too. "Oh, Jane, stop it. I can guess as long as it isn't a scientific guess."

"Speaking of a scientific guess, did you send Pike home?" She asked, "What a douche. I heard him yakking to Frost about discrimination because you are a female."

"He's gone." Maura answered, "And not before I exploded him."

Angela and Jane smiled at each other again, "You mean 'blew him up'."

"I did!" She said, excitedly, "I told him to shove it. That I was his boss and I could move him to the worst district in the state if I wanted." The three laughed.

Angela began to clear the dishes as Jane scooped various containers into a rice carton and added some soy sauce and a pair of chopsticks.

"So Janie didn't break down the door, Tommy's all gaga over you," Angela was saying to Maura, "Janie taught him to play chess, and your father is the mob."

Maura nodded and looked at Jane. "That's correct."

"And Janie, doesn't it seem that you are always over here?" Angela asked her daughter, "I mean every time I'm here you're here."

"Point?" Jane asked.

Angela shrugged, "No point." Then to Maura, "You don't want to go out with Tommy. Leopards don't change their spots, they just hide them." She wiped her hands on a towel and popped the takeout container in the microwave. "Now go get your brother and tell him to get over here and eat so you two can go to sleep."

Later, on her sofa, Maura looked at Jane. "What do you think she meant about that?" She asked her friend.

"What?" Jane asked, "The fact that she and your mom talk, which is freaky. Or the fact that she doesn't want you dating Tommy?"

Maura sipped her wine, "Maybe it's both. She did assume that you were jealous and broke my door in." She batted her eyebrows and in a mock-falsetto, "My hero!"

Jane nudged her, "Oh stop it." She smiled and laid her head back in Maura's lap, unaware that Angela was spying on them through the perfectly placed crease in the curtains she had finagled earlier that evening.

"We do all feel like a family." Maura said, "A real one. It's kind of nice. Why didn't you tell me before that you played chess?"

"I didn't think it was important." Jane answered.

Maura closed her eyes and rested a hand on Jane's hair. "Oh, it's very important."


	2. Chapter 2

"Jane," Maura said a few days later as Jane walked into her office with two cups of the coffee that her mother had over generously shoved in her direction with the annoying rant _of Dr. Isles needs coffee_. "I want to ask you a question." Her hand reached out slowly for the cup Jane was extending to her. "It might be rather personal."

Jane took a sip of her own coffee, watching Maura do the same. Personal. Huh. Anything with Maura could be 'personal'. She might be asking about what kind of M&M's Jane preferred, almonds, peanut, plain, pretzel, whatever. Or she might be inquiring about Jane's personal tampon stock. One could never tell with this woman.

"Go for it, doctor." Jane "Ask me anything." She waited.

Maura crossed to her desk and perched on the chair, swiveling around to look at Jane. She took in her lanky, lean form and had to take a disguised deep breath to steel herself. Why in the world did the detective look so casual and confident all of the time. Maura was a mess inside. She just needed to ask the question she had wanted to ask Jane for weeks and hear the answer she needed to hear. On the surface it was all so simple. But the human aspect made it all so complicated.

"I've been thinking of buying your mother's house that is on the market so she can return to it." Maura said casually, as if talking of buying a new set of dishtowels. "Do you think she would find that generous or presumptuous?" Jane's eyebrows shot up. "Do you think she would think I was kicking her out? That I didn't enjoy her company?"

"You've been thinking of buying her a house?" Jane said and nodded slowly, something she did when she was broadsided by one of Maura's thoughts or actions. "Not a new punchbowl, but a house."

The doctor gave Jane a disbelieving look. "A punchbowl? Why on earth would I do that? The guest house is equipped with a rather nice Waterford." She stared off. "I believe it was a gift from one of my mother's colleagues."

"Not the point!" Jane said to her.

Maura cocked her head a little to take in Jane's non communicative facial reactions. In the beginning of their relationship as friends and co-workers, Maura had relied on this ability of hers to sniff out what the detective was really thinking. As time went on, however, Jane began to know when she was fishing and began to deflect Maura's ability with her own ability to hone her pokerface. There were times that the emotional detective forgot to put up the wall. This was one of those times. Jane was almost frantic, Maura thought, and although she knew that Jane was uncomfortable around Maura's money, she could tell that money was not the issue at hand.

"So what do you think?" Maura asked again. "Do you think she would take it the wrong way?"

Jane leaned up against the door frame and took a sip of her coffee, her confidence and swagger back behind her eyes and slowly seeping into her limbs. "Well, let me ask you this. Do you want her gone?"

Maura shook her head, "No. I do like having her around. I just wonder if she would rather be back in her house, not cramped up in the guesthouse."

Jane laughed, "Cramped? That house is bigger than my apartment!" She shook her head at her friend, "Seriously, Maura. I don't think that she'd accept a house, for god's sake. And I don't think she would want to rattle around that big house all day with the memory of my father. But then again, I don't really know. Has she mentioned the house to you? You know, wanting to go back there or anything?"

Maura looked at her friend. She couldn't read her face anymore. She'd have to try again later. "She hasn't. It was just a thought."


	3. Chapter 3

A continuation of the story. What could be behind Maura's desire to buy a house for Angela? Are the Rizzoli's getting to close? Is Maura in need of more alone time? Why is Jane taking this hard?

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything but my house, car and tons of books. And some minor things like credit card debt and a handful of dark chocolates. **

_Author's Note: Being disappointed with the finale has prompted me to write "The Deleted Scenes" in hopes that someday the true writers of the show will take notice to fan fiction and steer the subtext and plot in a more user friendly manner._

"Hey, Ma!" Jane called out as she grabbed a pre-made sandwich out of the grab and go counter. She unwrapped it and took a large bite.

"Jane!" Angela called over to her as she fiddled with the air-pots. "Didn't you eat lunch? It's almost four o'clock! Am I going to have to get your brother to tell me when you eat or not? You're too skinny as it is, and here you are-"

"Ma! Stop, okay?" Jane tried calming her ranting mother down. "I had lunch, but that was like four hours ago. I'm hungry." She took another bite, "good idea to start making sandwiches during the day, Ma. I bet you sell a ton of these."

"Well, it's all about being in tune with what the customer wants," Angela began. Jane rolled her eyes as she sat down. "Like I know that around this time, people wander in for coffee, especially if they know they are going to be working late. That's why I made the sandwiches too. For people like you who eat all the time." She chuckled, "I swear, if ate like you I'd be a house!"

Jane perked up. "Yeah, Ma, can we talk for a sec?"

Angela shot a look at the cash register. "What if someone comes in?"

"Put out the hat, come on." She said. Angela pulled the patrol cap from under the counter and placed it on the counter. "It's important."

Angela sat down and gave her daughter a worried look, "What's the matter? Are you and Maura fighting?"

Jane shook her head, "Do you like living where you are?" She asked, "I mean, if you don't you can always come and stay with me for a while."

"Jane," She said, clearly touched, "That's very sweet of you, but I think I just got settled into Dr. Isles' guest house." Jane watched several officers and plain clothes cops help themselves to food and drink, every one of them tossing money into the hat like they were supposed to do when the cashier was away.

"Hey!" She called over her shoulder to a cop who tossed in just a quarter, "Coffee a little more than that, don't you think?" She watched him add a few singles then back to her mother, "But you can't stay there forever, right?"

"Well, I suppose not." Angela offered, as Jane's mind began to wander around what was going on.

_Clearly, Maura hadn't discussed this with my ma, and a house was a generous gift. Maybe she was trying to get the Rizzoli clan back into their house and out of hers. Saturday nights now were spent in the main house kitchen, Frankie and Tommy would come over as Maura and Ma would make pasta, drink wine as we all listened to one of Tommy's stories, Frankie's patrol nightmares or something that Her Googleness would spout off about. What was the last one? Oh yeah, the history of the Meyer lemon. I wonder where she stores all of that information? How did she read it all in the first place? I can't even remember where my black jeans are and she knows things like the differences of lemons. If it's yellow, it's a lemon to me. Was she tired of the imposing? Were we imposing? Oh, my god. I really hope we aren't imposing on her. Maybe she wants to just relax alone for a change. I know I'm there more now. Oh, god I think I'm there almost every night. That's gotta be what this is about. We've moved into her house._

"Jane!" Angela brought her daughter back, "Don't you think that's kinda weird?" Jane looked helplessly at her mother. "I was saying that the last time that Connie called to talk to me she mentioned that Maura was looking to buy another house. Do you think she's going to move?"

Jane blew out in frustration, "No, Ma. She's buying it for you. I think. She just talked to me about it today."

"What?" Angela screeched, "She's buying me a house?"

"Not just a house, Ma, your house." Jane said.

Angela shook her head slowly, "Oh, no. She's not buying me a house. I could never repay her. Janie, you can't let her do it. I don't want that house anymore. All I'll do is see all of the stuff your father didn't fix and curse all day long. You can't let her do it. Talk some sense into her."

"Ma, what makes you think that I can?" Jane asked, "She's more pigheaded than I am." Then a thought occurred to her, "Wait a second, Ma. You're still talking to Maura's mother." Angela nodded, "Do you call her Connie? Cause I really don't think she'd like that."

"Oh, Jane," Angela smiled, "She doesn't mind. And she's the one who calls me. She's been calling to get updates on her daughter. Says she wants to keep in touch more, but thinks it would be weird for her to just call Maura out of the blue given their past. So she calls me. We have very nice discussions. She says she's not seen Maura look so vibrant and happy. Oh, and we both agree that if there is anyone that can convince Maura to do something, it's you."

"You two discuss me?" Jane rolled her eyes, "That's great, Ma. Look, I think Maura wants to buy you that house because she's tired of all of us being there all the time."

Her mother frowned, "I live there. You're the one who always comes over. Maybe she's just tired of you."

"Ma!" Jane swore.

"I'm kidding," Angela said nudging her daughter's arm. "She isn't tired of you at all. That's what Connie and I have been talking about. The fact that our daughters are happy and less grumpy with their mothers." Then more seriously, "Don't let her buy that house, Janie. I know that Dr. Isles is generous, but I can't accept a house."

Jane nodded, standing up. "You got it, Ma. Tell Connie hi next time you two blather on about me." She waved as she made her way out of the shop and to the elevator to see Maura. Along the way, her mind continued to drift.

_God, the first time I saw her I knew I was in for it. I could barely look at her when I introduced myself, then I spent all of my time trying not to NOT look at her. Such a classic sign of attraction. Jeeze. I do like to be around her. I like to be at her house, or have her over to my apartment. I just crave being with her. Even just hanging out at work, popping in for just a random question or a cup of coffee. All I can do is try not to blush around her. The first time I suggested a drink after work and she accepted, my whole body flushed. I know she saw it. You would have had to have been blind not to see that. I had to take my jacket off in the middle of winter on my way to the car. I bet everyone sees it too. The fact that I'm nothing but a drooling dog around her. They are all probably expecting me to howl and sniff her crotch. Of, fuck. Think of something else, think of something else. Fractions. There we go. Fractions. _

_And why does she have to stand so close to me? Doesn't she know what she is doing to me? Is she trying to kill me? I've never been so attracted to anyone before in my life. It's like fire. It won't stop and blowing on it won't help. I don't want her to buy ANY house for my mother. I like things the way they are now._


	4. Chapter 4

**Thank you for all of the reviews. I'm going to take the advice from and try my hand at more narrative versus dialogue. I just happen to be a dialogue junky. Anyone think I need a Beta? Let me know… Thanks again for the reviews, I hope this chapter picks up the story a bit. It was feeling a bit stagnate. Maybe this could have been the last scene—not the ridiculous surprise party. **

**Disclaimer: Me-Car and Chocolate. TNT-The characters I borrow.**

Breaking from the fast jog Jane began to sprint, her long legs in a perfect stride as she raced for the intended finish line, Maura's driveway. Just a few seconds behind her, Maura gave Jane a light backhand on her ass as she crossed the Detective. They leaned up against Jane's car to catch their breath and cool down.

"Jane," Maura began, "You just can't help yourself, can you?" She leaned back and took in the sky above her, letting the night's air cool off her body and lungs. "Always have to win." She smiled at her friend, who's slick skin beamed in the glow of the moon and stars. She had always admired Jane's form and physique. She was in constant awe of her slim abdominals no matter what she ate or drank. Maura had long given up on trying to steer Jane away from cheeseburgers and onion rings. It was always quite a fight and Maura never quite won them.

She slipped herself over to Jane's side and lightly touched her arm and leg with her own. She had sparred with her thoughts and emotions since the day she met the Detective. Heart and mind constantly were at war with the occasional jab from uncertainty. Could Jane tell? Did she know Maura's insatiable need to be close to her, close enough to feel the warmth of her skin.

Maura kept wandering back in her memory for the precise moment she found herself unable to put the detective out of her mind. Picking through the memories that plagued her she chose the moment that she was able to clearly see raw emotion behind Jane's features. She had arrived at the Apprentice murder scene rubbing her hands together, fear shining in her eyes after she was taunted by another detective and was met by Korsak. She slipped back into her cop mode during the survey of the room, then got visibly nervous when Maura touched her chin and straightened the cartridge in her nose with a pop. In that moment, she wanted to take Jane aside and reassure her with her eyes, her words, her soul.

"You've been quiet the last few days," Maura looked up and over at Jane. She was instantly drawn to her neck, the cut along her throat layered with a liquid bandage. Maura's wound was dressed the same. Twins, she thought. Matching scars. "I know you are thinking about what happened with Hoyt, but can you tell me specifics? I have some of mine too that I would like to talk over with you." Jane looked down at her, "If you want and if you can."

Jane rubbed her hands together, the scars perking up at the mention of Charles Hoyt. After all, he was the one that put them there, the one she thought about every time they ached, itched or hurt. Maura held out her own hands, her silent invitation well established. Jane closed her eyes as Maura massaged one hand after another. Their voices drifted on the cool breeze and into the guest house to Angela's ears. She quietly turned off lamps and made her way to the window and peered out. She knew that Jane wouldn't talk about her emotions or pain until it became unbearable to her and it all came out in a rush of emotion and tears, but now she was treated to her low, calm voice. Hate and pain, confusion made its way out, but her voice was quiet, almost soothing.

"-But that's not really it, Jane." Maura was saying, her voice also soothing, "Hoyt was bound to put you in the same situation as one of his victims. He used me to expose your fears. But it's over. "

Jane shook her head, "It might be over for now, but what about you?" Angela could hear tears creep into her voice, "No one like you should ever have to go through that. I don't know how you can even look at me."

Angela also shook her head. After all those two had been through, Jane was still oblivious to why they we able to weather the storm. She wasn't around to see Maura sit shell shocked by her hospital bed, willing the detective to wake up. She wasn't there when Maura ran to Frank and Angela, blood covered and crying in the emergency room. No, Jane had heard what she was allowed to hear, but she never saw it. She just didn't know.

"My, god Jane," Maura gasped, holding her hands tighter, "How could I not. Everything that we have been through together, can only build us up stronger. Individually. Together. We can be stronger people. You can lean on me. I'll lean on you. It's what we do as friends."

"But Hoyt…He killed couples," Confusion leaked out into Jane's words, "He was going to make me watch…Just like…" She trailed off as Maura released her hands and placed them on Jane's forearms. "I don't know what that means…"

"It means whatever it needs to mean, Jane." Maura said lightly.

Jane and Angela seemed to nod at the same time. Okay, Jane thought. Not bad, Angela thought.

"You hungry?" Jane asked. Maura chuckled. "What? I could really go for some Chinese. What about you? And I'm dying for a beer."

Maura's chuckle turned into a giggle, "You really need to drink water first. Hydration is essential for overall physical and mental performance." She rattled on as she led Jane to her front door. As they discussed the need of beer versus water, Angela watched them go with a smile on her face. She knew that above all, Jane was going to be okay. Finally.


End file.
